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The James Webb Space Telescope will have 18 hexagonal beryllium sections for its mirrors. Because JWST will face a temperature of −240 degrees Celsius (33 kelvins), the mirror is made of beryllium, capable of handling extreme cold better than glass. Beryllium contracts and deforms less than glass - and remains more uniform - in such temperatures. For the same reason, the optics of the Spitzer Space Telescope are entirely built of beryllium metal. | The James Webb Space Telescope will have 18 hexagonal beryllium sections for its mirrors. Because JWST will face a temperature of −240 degrees Celsius (33 kelvins), the mirror is made of beryllium, capable of handling extreme cold better than glass. Beryllium contracts and deforms less than glass - and remains more uniform - in such temperatures. For the same reason, the optics of the Spitzer Space Telescope are entirely built of beryllium metal. | ||
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope, scheduled for launch in 2014. JWST will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. JWST will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System. JWST's instruments will be designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range. | |||
This could be an interesting perspective into the process of Telescope building, and kind of showcasing a new piece of NASA Tech. | |||
[http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/ Nasa page on the Telescope] | [http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/ Nasa page on the Telescope] | ||